Taking Things for Granted
by t0mb0y
Summary: Sarah is dropped back into the Labyrinth...literally. Now she has to find her way back. SarahJareth, Sarah/OC
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

It had been a very dull, boring, rainy, and dreary day, as it usually was in Sarah William's world. She had once again come home late in a hurry, Merlin by her side, trying to outrun the approaching thunderstorm. She had been unsuccessful however, and was currently changing out of her soggy maiden's dress.

Her stepmother, Karen, had been a bit more lenient with Sarah's disheveled appearance than she had been the previous week when Sarah had returned from the park drenched. It seemed that Karen had been a lot more easy-going with quite a few things recently, but perhaps it was just Sarah's change in behavior.

Last week, when Sarah returned from the park, her attitude towards her baby stepbrother, Toby, had change dramatically. Sarah blamed it on an odd dream she had that night.

She glanced at her nightstand and smiled fondly at the bookend sitting beside her lamp. The crude-looking figure had been a character in the bizarre adventure she had dreamt up for herself.

"Hoggle," she sighed. That had been his name.

The dream had been a particularly vivid one, seeming almost real. It was an incredibly uplifting dream, as well. Although stressful and somewhat scary at points, the friends, such as Hoggle, which Sarah had picked up along her journey, had made it all worthwhile. She had fought hard to rescue Toby, who she had so dumbly wished away, but, despite her determination to get him back, she found herself slightly brought down as her time in the Labyrinth was brought to a close. Sarah had been overjoyed when her friends told her that she could call upon them whenever they were needed.

It had hurt her deeply to find that the next day, no matter how hard she tried, none of them would answer. After the third day of failed attempts to contact her friends, she had finally given up, facing the depressing reality that it had all just been a dream.

A crying Toby snapped Sarah out of her dreaming. Several weeks earlier, she would have been extremely annoyed at such a disturbance, but now she smiled as she made her way to her parents' room.

"What's wrong, Toby?"

Her fingers felt for the light switch, and immediately the bedroom was flooded with light. Sarah stood shocked and silent as she tried to process what she was seeing.

A man was standing beside the crib, one of his hands patting Toby, trying to get the baby to stop his crying. As the lights came on, the man's head snapped around and Sarah caught site of his face.

He was quite attractive; not at all the type of person Sarah would have expected for breaking and entering. His reddish brown hair brushed the top of his shoulders, and his surprised eyebrows were plastered high above his crystal blue eyes.

The man slowly backed away from the crib, holding his hands in front of him.

"Who--"

Sarah's words were cut short as the man rushed forward, making his way out of the bedroom, and knocking Sarah down in the process.

"Stop!" Sarah yelled, jumping up, and following the strange man.

Sarah chased after the stranger, suddenly alarmed as she realized he was running into her bedroom. She picked up speed and tried to catch up to him. Luckily, she got enough proximity between the two of them for her to see as he disappeared into her closet.

_He was going to hide in the closet?_ Sarah thought, mentally laughing at his amateur camouflage.

She tiptoed her way to the closet, slowly turning the doorknob as she grabbed a statue off her dresser.

"Ha!" Sarah cried, as the door swung open.

_Huh?_

Much to Sarah's surprise, the uninvited visitor was gone.

_Darkness there, and nothing more._

"Shut-up," Sarah said to herself. "He has to be somewhere."

Sarah tugged on the overhead light cord, and pushed the clothes apart. She was met with more clothing, so she pushed these apart as well, and...was met with even more clothing. Sarah set down the statue, and stepped into the closet, pushing her way through the clothing.

She felt smothered as she took several steps forward, reaching her hand out and expecting to touch wall. However, she just continued to encounter more and more clothing.

Sarah was in the dark, having left the overhead light somewhere back. As she clawed forward, she realized that she was no longer touching clothing.

_This hanger feels like wood._

Sarah took a step forward, and felt the floor beneath her give. The foot broke through the..._Branches?_ that were covering the ground, and Sarah found herself falling through a hole.

"Ouch!" Sarah whispered loudly as she met the bottom of the hole with a thump.

Something, somewhere in the pitch black hole, moved, and Sarah froze.

_The stranger!_

Sarah clenched her eyes shut, and began to hold her breath, hoping that whatever was in the hole with her, would leave her alone and let her rot away in peace.

Suddenly the inside of Sarah's eyelids changed from black to red, and she recognized that there was light coming from somewhere. She opened her eyes, and indeed, there was the stranger, a lantern in hand, searching the floor for something.

_The oubliette._

"I'm in an oubliette," Sarah thought aloud.

The stranger looked up from his work, and gave Sarah an annoyed expression.

_Are his eyes really blue?_ Sarah thought again, this time to herself.

She leaned forward and studied his face, trying to decide if he eyes were blue or clear.

"Who are you?" Sarah said at last.

The stranger looked up again, he had almost forgotten her presence. He said nothing, however, and ignored her, continuing his search for the unknown object.

"Please," she continued. "I need some help...could you help me?"

"You were able to find your way through the Labyrinth the first time." He paused, his back still turned towards her, "Surely you can manage."

Sarah sat silent for a moment. It wasn't until she had thought about it thoroughly that she realized he was being quite rude to her. His voice was very enchanting. A slight Scottish accent weaved its way into his words.

"Even the first time I had help," Sarah reasoned.

"Well, don't be expecting any this time," the stranger snapped.

The accent's charm suddenly wore off, and Sarah felt herself grow angry.

"Why were you in my parents' room?" Sarah demanded. "You're with Jareth, aren't you?"

The stranger looked at her.

"Jareth lost. I won, fair and square."

The stranger said nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry if he's a sore loser, but I didn't wish for anything, and--"

"Would you shut-up?"

Sarah stood, speechless.

The stranger picked up a door, and put it against the wall, his hand on the knob.

"Do you want out of this oubliette?"

"Yes," Sarah replied, finally finding her voice.

"Then shut-up and come on."

Sarah obliged and quietly followed the stranger into the light.

**A/N:** This story, although the introduction was considerably different, was previously titled as "Untitled Labyrinth FanFic". I think I like this beginning better. I had decided I wanted to a take a less melodramatic approach to introducing the story. Anyway, the plotline is still basically the same as the other, but luckily, since I never got past the first chapter on the other fic, no one will be able to tell the difference!

Reviews are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

When Sarah passed through the door, she was amazed to find herself standing inside what seemed to be a castle.

_Jareth's castle._

"Why on earth did you bring me here?" Sarah exclaimed, turning on the stranger.

"Hello, Sarah."

Sarah's scathing remarks caught in her throat, as a new voice found her.

She whirled away from the stranger to see the Goblin King himself standing before her. His blonde hair framed his face like a lion's mane, and his mismatched eyes danced with a sort of mischief that Sarah had grown accustomed to during her last trip through the Labyrinth.

"Send me home," Sarah demanded.

The king was not fazed. He simply lifted one eyebrow and took several steps, circling the young woman.

"No, I don't think I will."

Sarah's stony expression went to one of astonishment.

"You can't keep me here! It's against the rules! It's--"

"Thank you, Hogan," Jareth cut Sarah off and ignored her rants. "This bounty is much appreciated."

Sarah fell silent.

"Please," he continued, "make yourself comfortable. I shall return in a moment. I want to show my newest guest to her room."

The stranger, Hogan, nodded, and watched impassively as Jareth practically swept Sarah to her room. She didn't struggle at all, awestruck as she came to terms with her current situation.

_I'm a prisoner...Jareth's bounty, brought to him by..._

She turned her head a looked back at Hogan, no longer the stranger in her mind.

Sarah had never seen the man in her life; she couldn't have been in his presence for more than an hour. And yet, she felt betrayed. He had asked her if she wanted out of the oubliette.

_It's place you put people to forget about them._

That's how Hoggle had described the oubliette when first fell into it.

_Hoggle._

Sarah felt her eyes brimming with tears at the thought of her friend. She would have rather been left in the oubliette with Hoggle, letting the rest of the world forget about her, than to be stuck with Jareth leading her towards her doom.

"Here we are," Jareth announced.

When Sarah said nothing, he looked back to her, lip curling as he spotted the tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Stay here and compose yourself," Jareth ordered. He opened the door, pushed Sarah inside, and closed it promptly.

The sound of a locking door only made Sarah cry harder, and she threw herself down on the bed.

_Everything had happened so fast. It wasn't...It wasn't..._

"Oh, it's just not fair!" Sarah cried, pushing her face into a pillow to muffle her sobbing.

"Things here usually aren't," a voice from the corner replied.

Immediately Sarah's sobs halted, and she lifted her head up from the pillow. A very old, very...unique looking goblin stood in front of her, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Who are you?" Sarah inquired, wiping her cheeks.

"My name is Maglin. I'm one of King Jareth's handmaidens."

Sarah nodded in understanding, sniffling slightly.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Sarah."

Maglin's eyes grew wide.

"Sarah? As in Sarah who..." She dropped her voice down to a whisper, "...defeated the Labyrinth?"

"Yes."

The old goblin laughed and clapped her hands together. "Your majesty! It's so nice to finally meet you!"

Sarah felt her head go light. "Your majesty? What are you talking about?"

"Queen Sarah of the Goblins! It's all His Majesty has been talking about for the past few days! He said that he would be sending for her so he could present her."

"Present me?"

"Oh, yes!" Maglin replied. "You are to be married!"

Sarah's mouth fell open. "Married!"

"I suppose you should get ready."

The goblin nodded to herself and made her way to the chifferobe.

"Ready for what? He's not marrying me tonight, is he?"

"Oh, no, no," Maglin answered, and Sarah let out a sigh of relief. "He was throwing a ball tonight. I'm sure he'll want you to be present so he can introduce you to the rest of the Sidhe."

Sarah fell back on the bed, her head pounding like a bass drum.

"What do you think of this one?"

Sarah lifted her head to see Maglin lifting a dress...very much like the one she had worn in her dream during her first trip in the Labyrinth.

**A/N:** I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.

Reviews are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Chills ran through Sarah as she sat beside Jareth in the ballroom. It was exactly as it had been the last time she was there.

_Wait. Was I here?_ Sarah thought to herself, trying to decide whether or not it had really been a dream.

_Maybe it was a premonition._

A glance at what was to be.

Sarah glanced around the room and was startled as she eyes, peering from behind a skull mask. The eyes captivated her, and held her stare, until the owner twirled with his dancing partner and broke the spell.

"Are you feeling well?"

Jareth's voice broke Sarah out of her trance, and she turned her attention to the king, who was currently focused on carving what appeared to be some sort of steak.

_As if you care._ "I'm okay."

"Good," the Fae replied, dabbing his lips with a cloth and leaving Sarah to sit alone.

Sarah could feel the eyes of the rest of the guests looking at her, trying to catch a glimpse of their future queen when they thought she wasn't looking. She knew, though. She felt one pair of eyes focusing on her in particular.

The suffocating feeling was becoming almost too much to handle. Sarah tried focusing on the patterns of the tablecloth in front of her. She brought her hands up to her temples, and rubbed frantically, not daring to look up.

"It really isn't that bad if you dip it in that red sauce."

Sarah's head snapped up, and she looked behind her to find out who was addressing her.

_You._ "What?"

The young bounty hunter smiled and pointed at the dish in front of her.

"The meat. I said it's not so bad with the red sauce."

Sarah looked down at her dinner. A rather large piece of meat sat, untouched, on her plate. She had felt too nauseous to even attempt to take a bite.

"Well, I doubt that even the red sauce could make it appetizing to me at the moment."

Hogan's smiles faltered slightly, and he drew back the chair next to his future queen.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Yes," replied Sarah, taking the chair from him, and pushing it back in.

_Was this guy dumb?_

Sarah could not believe what was happening. Not even two hours ago, this stranger had broken into her house. She had found him leaning over her brother's crib, and chased him into her own closet. Apparently, unknown to her, she had a magic closet that led to an oubliette. This man had then told Sarah that he could lead her out of the oubliette, but had actually just brought her into a bigger one. Now, here he was being friendly and polite, as if to strike up a conversation.

"Well, I won't have it!" Sarah said aloud.

Hogan looked up from the floor tile he had been studying and gave Sarah a puzzled look.

Embarrassed at her outburst, turned her head away and starting praying that Hogan would get the hint to leave.

"Sarah."

_Nope._

"I mean, Queen Sarah," Hogan said again, tapping Sarah's shoulder and asking for her attention.

Sarah drew in a deep breath and he continued.

"I thought this was what you dreamed of being?"

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. "How would you know what my dreams are?"

Hogan looked away for a moment and then back at the young woman.

"Why else would you be here?"

When Sarah said nothing, Hogan took his leave. She watched him as he returned towards the sea of dancers, replacing his..._skull mask_.

Hogan approached several young women who were talking and giggling with each other in the corner. A rather busty redhead gave a shrill giggle as he bowed before them.

Sarah seethed at the display.

Hogan led the redhead onto the dance floor, and glanced up once more towards Sarah. She attempted to keep her face blank, but could help but glare a little as the redhead let her hands explore her dancing partner. The skull dancer seemed amused as this display of anger and smiled.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Jareth, staggering a bit, sat beside Sarah and licked his teeth.

"I'm pretty tired...May I go to bed?"

The goblin king nodded, and Sarah left the ballroom quickly, not trusting herself to stay calm.

**A/N:** I'll try to get the next chapter as soon as I can, but there may be a slight delay. Probably not tomorrow (or actually, it's today now) because it's my birthday and I have to get my license…in addition to other things…but I will be thinking of the next chapter, promise!

Reviews are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth. I do not own Labyrinth.


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